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Team Player
Reading Brandweek today, I noticed Under Armour is making a big push in their marketing to women efforts with their latest campaign, “Protect This House. I Will.” Adrienne Lofton, senior marketing director of their women’s business, is quoted in Brandweek as saying, “[the campaign] aims to get beyond the message that this brand is the best in the world in performance training…” and change their target’s current perception of Under Armour as their “boyfriend’s brand.” The campaign, which includes a facebook page and several TV spots featuring well-known female athletes (including Lindsey Vonn, my girl crush), will no doubt meet that goal, and generate a lot of buzz while they’re at it. Everyone loves to see strong women kicking ass (especially when they’re wearing hot gear). But looking closer at the core message of the campaign, I think they’ve also touched on something really unique…the emotional power of ‘the team’.
We know from other categories (and from being women ourselves!) that one of the most effective ways to connect with women is by touching on and understanding their relationships. Women make deep connections—for validation, information, support. Under Armour took this insight and applied it to sports, which works beautifully. For women, teams aren’t just a way to showcase their individual ability, they’re the whole reason to compete. They recognize the whole as bigger than the parts. The success of a team is bigger than if it’s an individual win. The loss hurts less, because you know there are other people that feel exactly the same way you do. There is this group that can relate to you completely, no matter what your emotion is. In my opinion, women are able to slip into that universal mindset and sync up with their teammates more effectively than their male counterparts, because that’s what they’re used to doing in their day to day lives.
Well done, Under Armour. It will be interesting to watch the reactions. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch the spot for the 6th time today. Love that Lindsey!
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